


Spiral in the Spider's Web

by Starren_Moonstone



Series: Collections from The Journalist - Whumptober Edition [15]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Hypnosis, Into The Unknown, Possession, The Spiral, The Web - Freeform, Whumptober 2020, science gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starren_Moonstone/pseuds/Starren_Moonstone
Summary: Moira, while enjoying a day off wandering the carnival, finds a new and interesting act.
Series: Collections from The Journalist - Whumptober Edition [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947499
Kudos: 1





	Spiral in the Spider's Web

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober Day 15: "Into the Unknown" - Possession, Science gone Wrong  
> Alternative summary: Moira discovers the Web

June 4, 1894

Moira plays around with a sewing needle they “borrowed” from their mother as they walk around Boston Commons, taking in the sights of the carnival come to town. Not that the city of Boston is ever without some sort of entertainment, however magicians can always use a break and take some inspiration from those who are also a part of the craft. Though, the more recent trend in the current days are escape tricks. And yes, Moira does use the word tricks, because that’s all any of them are. Elaborate tricks, because nearly all of them use a curtain or the actual escape attempt is hidden from plain view. Moira flicks the sewing needle up in the air, and it disappears before landing down. This makes the young magician grin. What are petty tricks when they can use real magic? 

A certain sign catches Moira’s eye. “Lady Ulra, Mystic of the Spider”. On the poster is a woman wearing a black dress, gorgeously donned with silver trimmings. She wears a veil, and in her hand is a silver pocket watch. Intriguing. The tent itself isn’t that impressive, just another dot on the backdrop of the commons. This peaks Moira’s interest all the more. Most people are very flashy and want people to notice their act. This is rather quiet. Passive.

Moira steps into the tent. It is lit up by candle-light, and there are very few chairs scattered around. No one is around, save for the woman on the poster, who looks up from a chair standing on the stage. In her hand is a black metallic pocket watch, with silver details etched into it. She looks curiously at Moira, tilting her head like a Cheshire cat. 

“Oh? And who may you be?” she asks, standing up and putting the pocket watch on the chair. Very quickly, Moira noticed a spider scuttle off her shoulder… no, it must have been a trick of the light.

“Merely someone who is interested. You act seems different from the rest.”

“That would be because it is quite new, however it does put on a rather marvelous show. Would you like to see?”

“Certainly, but there isn’t much of a crowd.”

She grins. “No, not yet. Come here, and sit.” She motions for the chair on the stage.

Moira starts to, curious as to what this act could be, but stops right before they get onto the stage. There is something about her words that don’t line up right. “You aren’t going to trap me in there, are you?” Moira asks, “I merely would like to observe and take notes.”

“And why may that be?” The woman’s face falls slightly.

“I’m a performer myself, though I have no act of my own yet.”

The woman looks rather interested. “You should sit in the front row for the show. You’ll be my guest.”

“That seems rather generous of you.”

“Well, I can tell the two of us are more alike than I originally thought. How much do you know of magic?”

Moira demonstrates by making the sewing needle appear in their hand with a flourish of hands. 

“Well, this is a different kind. Something very interesting, for those brave enough to participate.”

This peaks Moira’s interest even more, and they decide to wait around to see what this act is. People eventually start filing in, all with tickets for the show. Most speak very excitedly, though amongst the crowd there are a few gathered that look nervous, and one who is obviously frowning. As Moira looks at this man, they notice a spider crawl up his pant leg without his notice. It sends a shiver down their spine.

Once everyone has taken a seat and all the chairs have been filled, the woman introduces herself as the Lady Ulra and says that for the day’s performance, she will need a volunteer from the audience. She looks right at the man who was frowning before, and his hand raises up. He sweats slightly, and looks at his hand mildly fearful. 

“Excellent. Come onto the stage and have a seat.” As the man starts walking up, Lady Ulra starts talking on a particular subject. “It is said that the ghosts of those before us haunt our world. And, if we are lucky enough, we may be able to speak with one such spirit. They can speak to us though the voices of others.” Lady Ulra grins at her volunteer now seated in the chair in the front, his face deathly pale. Moira can tell something is not quite right… best to sit and wait it out.

“Now, dear volunteer, I would like for you to focus on the pocket watch…”

The show certainly is something quite like nothing Moira has ever seen before. The man was put under a trance, and a spirit came and possessed him, spoke about it’s time on the open sea and told an amazing story, complete with motions to back up the story. The whole time though, it feels as though Lady Ulra is guiding this stranger or spirit or both. And there are moments where Moira could have sworn the man/spirit looked absolutely terrified. However, when the show finishes, the crowd stands in applause, and the man on the stage sits in the chair, confused and stunned.

“What did you think?” Lady Ulra asks, crossing her arms and leaning back against the stage.

“That was a most magnificent performance,” Moira says immediately, “But I wonder… I know that often enough that volunteers are planted in the audience… but your volunteer did not seem like he knew of what was to come at all. That or he is a brilliant actor.”

Lady Ulra laughs. “Ah, see, the truth is anyone can be an actor if given the space enough for it. However, your observation is correct. I’m sure I could have gotten a more willing volunteer, however, where is the fun in that? His own fault really; he challenged me the other day about my show. He called it fake.”

“So, what was it?”

“If I told you, will you keep it a secret?”

“As long as you teach me how to do it.” There is an unexpected thrill about being able to choose any volunteer from the audience and perform and incredible act without rehearsing first.

Lady Ulra looks interested at this proposal. “Looks like you have a deal. What is your name?”

“Moira Bramwell.”

“Well, Moira, welcome to the world of hypnosis.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a fun bit of trivia - during this time, "Moira" was technically their stage name and that's how the rest of their family treated it. All the while, Moira themself was like "this actually fits me a lot better and I want more people to use it as my actual name". They did get their wish eventually.  
> I used "science gone wrong" for this because there is a bit of science behind hypnosis, but like because it's The Web, it kinda distorts what hypnosis can actually do because of dream logic and fear. This guy really did not want to be a part of the act, and under any normal situation, he would never have been hypnotized due to that fact alone. Ya kinda got to want it in order for it to work.
> 
> If you like what you read and want to learn more and keep up with this content, I have a tumblr set up. beholdingwriter.tumblr.com I'll be posting up the stories on there, as well as answering questions about the characters involved in this collection of stories.


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